This Newsweek investigation shows how dangerous Trump's business interests could be for America

An investigation shows Trump Organization&#039;s foreign business could cause national security concerns.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 14 September 2016

A Donald Trump presidency could be deeply conflicted if he and his family don't permanently sever ties with the Trump Organization, a Newsweek investigation has found. While the Trump Organization brings multi-millions into the Trump family's pockets, it is also "an enterprise with deep ties to global financiers, foreign politicians, and even criminals," Newsweek writes, "although there is no evidence the Trump Organization has engaged in any illegal activities." Still, the findings raise serious concerns about what a Trump foreign policy might look like — and if it could potentially be bought:

Many foreign governments retain close ties to and even control of companies in their country, including several that already are partnered with the Trump Organization. Any government wanting to seek future influence with President Trump could do so by arranging for a partnership with the Trump Organization, feeding money directly to the family or simply stashing it away inside the company for their use once Trump is out of the White House. This is why, without a permanent departure of the entire Trump family from their company, the prospect of legal bribery by overseas powers seeking to influence American foreign policy, either through existing or future partnerships, will remain a reality throughout a Trump presidency. [Newsweek]

Speaking to CNN, corporate law professor Richard Painter likened Trump's conflicting business interests to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson's plantations and slave holdings leading up the the Civil War. "The first few presidents had conflicts of interests that made it impossible for them to intelligently and ethically deal with the country's first moral dilemma. The fact that we failed to deal with that in 1789 created the greatest political crisis and war in our country's history," Painter said.

Specific examples of the conflict of interest between the Trump Organization and American foreign policy and national security are detailed for South Korea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Libya, Russia, and Ukraine, with Newsweek citing additional examples that were uncovered for China, Brazil, Bulgaria, Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, and a number of other countries. Read the whole exposé at Newsweek.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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